Today we are visiting the most remote archipelago on the planet……The Marquesas Islands. The Marquesas consists of 12 islands, however, only 6 are inhabited. These 12 islands are spread over 271 miles, therefore, giving each island its own personality. And this archipelago is about 900 miles northeast of Tahiti.
Nuku Hiva is our port of call, which happens to be the second largest island of Polynesia, next to Tahiti. With 127 square miles, this island rises out of the ocean with stunning peaks and deep lush valleys. It has been called the "Land of Men" in the Marquesan language. And the scenery getting to the administrative capital of Taoihae is spectacular. The population of this pleasant village is about 2950, while the total population of all six islands is 9200.
High above this village are basaltic ridges planted with sandalwood trees. On some of the ridges, they have planted pinus caribaea hondurensis trees. These mountains are full of ancient temples or maraes, petroglyphs, sculptures, tikis, as well as decorative arts like tattoo and tapa cloth. There is a waterfall here called Hakaui that is 1148 feet from top to bottom. It is said that the falls are so long that the water actually evaporates before it reaches the bottom. Also notable is the valley in Taipivai, where the novelist, Herman Melville, resided as a captive with his young friend, both of whom jumped ship and hid out on the island. They lived with the natives for about three weeks in the late 1800's, and this is the experience that he wrote in the book Typee.
The soaring spire-like peaks are best accessed by 4 wheel drive vehicles or by horseback. In town, there is a post office, a hospital, city hall, banks, a school, and an airport (out of town). Stores are few, and there is limited shopping. There are wild horses, goats, and wild boar. Locals hunt these wild pigs for meat. The seafront in Taiohae has sculptures carved by artists from different archipelagos. Really reminded us of the moais we have seen on Easter Island.
Lastly, there was only one ship tour here for three hours, which took the guests in 4x4 vehicles to tour the island and the valleys. There was a stop at the church, a beach, and some souvenir stands. The Taipivai valley was visited where the TV show The Survivor was filmed in 2002. The cost of the tour was $130 per person, although we have seen it offered locally for around $50 (no insurance included).
We were not in a big hurry to get to shore today, even though the weather was next to perfect. It was a mostly sunny day with a few clouds drifting over. But no rain, so we were happy about that. Around the same time, the Captain was conducting yet another crew drill, and it would take 45 minutes. These have been occurring on almost every port recently. The Captain did announce at sail away, that they are due for their yearly safety check when we reach San Diego, so everything has to shipshape. This means the following week will be full of more testing and sprucing up.
There were a couple of kayakers from the village following in the wake of the tender boats. They must do it for exercise we guess, but they are fun to watch. Once safely onshore, we checked for signs of sharks where the local fishermen were cleaning their morning catch. But we must have missed the action, and did not see them baiting for the black tip sharks today.
There were the same souvenir shacks and a small café near the tender landing, but there was also a new building, which looked like restrooms. This area has grown so much since we first came here in the early 2000's. Up at the produce market, we noticed that that restaurant had expanded, and by now, it was loaded with passengers drinking beer and doing internet. We are not sure if it was free, but everyone was doing something with their phones or tablets.
We continued on to pass through three small buildings that offered souvenirs and tours. Looking for a new t-shirt from here, all we could find were 3x. All of the smaller sizes were totally gone. Of course, checking out many of the local men, 3x would be a conservative size for them.
Walking the seaside road with little traffic was pleasant, as a nice breeze came up along the water. Some of the small shops and convenience stores were opened, and some folks were already buying beer and drinking it under the shade of the big trees. We decided to hold off on the beer, since it was too early, and we had a long walk ahead of us.
The Notre Dame Des Marquises was about halfway on the hike, and up a small incline. But when we saw at least six 4x4 vehicles convoy to the church, we decided to come here on our way back. Hard to get good photos with 50 or 60 people crowding into the church.
We passed by the many volcanic carvings that have been placed here. Around the same place, was a Monument to the Dead, dedicated to the deceased French colonial sailors from the 19th and 20th centuries.
School was in session, and the kids of all ages were just having lunch. Guess there is no vacation time here yet. In fact, we saw no signs of Christmas here at all. Boy, they really are remote. Or they are not overwhelmed with the commercialization of this holiday. Not a bad thing, is it?
Right next to the Paahatea Cemetery with the old grave markers, we found the wood-carved monument, a tribute to Herman Melville and the book he wrote. He helped put this island on the map. We also saw two Marquesan horses tied to trees, small in size, and the cutest puppies with their mama dog.
Eventually, we reached the end of the road…the cul-de-sac so to speak. From here, we made our way up the steep road to the Keikahanui Pearl Lodge, that sits up high above the Taiohae Bay. The views up here are really impressive, especially with the Amsterdam anchored in the middle of it. This is the first time we have found the restaurant to be full of guests….most all from the ship. And most all of them doing…..internet, what else?
It was obvious that they were a bit overwhelmed with the crowd, but we were in no hurry. We ordered Hinano beers (in cans), and one chicken panini with fries to share. With two more beers and one banana split, we were ready to leave. They never bring a printed bill to the tables, so you have to go to the register and pay there. That's when something strange occurred. The food and drinks we ordered were not adding up just right. But it was in the ball park, so we paid with our credit card. As we were leaving, the waitress said she made a mistake, and forgot the dessert. We knew something was not right, so when we asked to see the itemized bill, there were items we never ordered. Like a cheeseburger, wine, sodas, and wifi. Yes, they were charging for wifi here. We had none of the above, so she refunded the charge for the dessert, and we called it even. Note to everyone – keep track of what you order, add it up, and be prepared to catch any mistakes before you pay. Too bad, we cannot always assume they always get it right. But the wifi mistake (or not) was obvious, since we did not use it, and never asked to use it.
On the way back, we did see the church and we had it almost to ourselves. The wooden carvings outside and inside the church are carved from trees throughout the archipelago. The old mango trees in front were full of fruit and also filled with the white terns. One green parrot flew overhead as well.
Checking out the souvenir stands, we decided we already had enough treasures from here. But the produce market did have one thing we did want. A bunch of the small bananas was the only purchase we made for 100 CFP francs or $1.00 US. We were back to the ship by 3pm with a short tender ride, and the last ride for this cruise
Then we had another pleasant surprise when we went out on our veranda. Directly below us in the water was a giant manta ray, feeding with its wide mouth opened as big as it gets. They seem to be gentle creatures as they glide effortlessly near the surface. Even the officers on the navigation deck were watching it, and taking some photos. It stayed in the immediate area long enough to get plenty of pictures, then it left. Had it not been for the veranda room, we never would have seen the Fakarava shark or this manta ray. Lucky, we guess.
The last tender boat was hauled up and we were on our way by 5pm. The Captain cruised the island for almost two hours, before he turned and headed northeast. We now have 2824 miles to reach San Diego in seven days. By 6:03pm, the sun went down on the horizon, and we got the last photo of an island sunset.
Dinner found monkfish on the menu once again, so one of us was game to try it. Have to agree, it had the texture of lobster, and tasted all right with seasoning and a tomato-based sauce on it. As a backup, we shared a plate of kolbi beef ribs….. very tender. The chicken kiev was really tasty also. Desserts were one scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a small plate of sliced watermelon with fresh blueberries. Also very refreshing.
Six days of ports have caught up with us, so we passed on the show of a magician, Naathan Phan. He will return later in the week, so we can catch the show then.
Bill & Mary Ann
